Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio... Derek Jeter. When it comes to iconic Yankees, this once-skinny high school kid from Kalamazoo is in that esteemed company. The all-time hits leader for the most storied franchise in sports history—and sixth overall in MLB history, between Tris Speaker and Cap Anson—Jeter was a model for how to play the game and conduct himself on and off the field. The offered card hails from one of the most popular autograph issues in hobby history, the landmark 1996 Leaf Signature set, and it is the key card to that groundbreaking assembly of player-handled, on-card autograph inserts. The card features a bold signature from Jeter's first full season, and it presents a classic and uncluttered design that is consistent with its subject. The card typically shows moderate to advanced edge chipping on its susceptible gray-printed reverse, but this one has escaped the rigors of handling and of circulation, and it is one of just 26 copies out of 700 made to have attained the top grade from PSA.

Imagine for a minute if there existed a Mickey Mantle baseball card from his rookie season that was so limited in its production that there weren't enough copies to give just one card to every active Major League player. Granted, there were fewer active players during The Mick's time than the 750 in today's game, but that's the reality for this card. There simply aren't enough in existence for every active Major League Baseball player to own just one copy. Imagine further if Ruth or Gehrig or Mantle had signed all 700 of these hypothetical rookie cards during their rookie seasons. These items would be among the most treasured collectibles in all of American culture! Although demand for Jeter's 1996 Leaf Signature Autograph cards has dwindled in recent years, we expect interest in them to grow significantly as his inevitable Hall of Fame induction approaches, especially as more and more collectors realize just how unique and unprecedented these cards are.